Terror Reigns
by SilverSauce
Summary: Living in a dystopian world overrun by demons just got difficult. AU, SasuNaruSasu, dark themes, other warnings inside.
1. Prolouge: Horror Happenings

**Title**: Where Terror Reigns  
**Author**: SilverSauce

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is not mine, if it was (insert witty statement here).

**NOTICE**: Renamed the story. What was The Terror Earth is now Where Terror Reigns. *shrugs* Got it? Good. Also, I'm in the process of editing chapters. Don't worry though, the name won't change again. XD

**Extended Summary**: Sasuke lives in a world that is dominated by demons and apparitions, thanks to an insane scientist who unleashed them from hell. An agent of the mysterious independent organization known only as the Agency, the young Uchiha thought he had seen it all until he met Naruto, a boy who doesn't remember his past but is crucial to the liberation of earth. Now Sasuke and Naruto must restore the world from the brink of destruction and get rid of the monsters, together. No problem... right?

**Warnings**: AU/AR, yaoi, future limes and/or lemons, possible OOC-ness, violence and death, slightly disturbing imagery, dark themes, language, unbeta'd. If you don't like SasuNaru/NaruSasu or yaoi in general, boo you! Leave now; haters and homophobes aren't welcome.

* * *

PROLOGUE: H O R R O R HAPPENINGS

#

_eleven years ago_  
_tuesday, 11:59pm_

#

Blood was everywhere.

Splattered across the lab walls, drenched into the carpet, covering the matted corpses that were no longer recognizable, even covering his face.

_'T-this wasn't in the calculations,'_ he thought snidely. Even under the circumstances a grizzly smirk crossed his bloody face. _'However, this... this I could work with...'_

He emerged from his hiding place to better survey the damage. The stench of death hung heavy in the air; all of his equipment was destroyed, limbs and papers were strewn throughout the area... the whole laboratory in shambles. He looked down at the bodies of his fallen teammates- or pawns.

_'Useless. They deserved to die.'_

He recalled how after the experiment went awry all of the other scientists had cowered in fear. The lights had burned out, cracks had ripped through the reinforced glass as easy as a hot knife through butter and shadows had marched across the white-washed walls. And then the creatures-those horrifyingly beautiful apparitions-had materialized from the darkness. They devoured the pathetic humans without a second thought, ripping through their flesh and swallowing their screams whole. Malicious grins had dominated their grotesque faces, and they preyed on the delicious shrieks that had continually echoed throughout the laboratory room. After they had feasted on the human scientists, they took flight and fled through the windows out into the frigid night.

He had escaped their terrible feast somehow, by hiding in a closed bunker. Some might call it luck but he would call it fate. As the only survivor, clearly it was his job to tame the demon beasts and use them to dominate the earth.

A twisted smile appeared on his face not unlike the one on the faces of the demons he had seen that night. His eyes glinted with malevolent glee. He had unleashed these beings and now he would drink of their unbelievable strength.

He gave an evil little chuckle as he made his way past the corpses, through the foul air and toward the exit, already forgetting the unimportant deaths of his co-workers and plotting how he could profit from this turn of events.

"That power will be mine," he said aloud.

Then he exited and slammed the door behind him, his bleak statement left hanging over the horrid scene.

#

_present day_  
_friday, 3:47pm_

#

The sky at Ground Zero (1) was crimson. Debris crumbled from the surrounding buildings and the ground constantly shook due to the never ending earthquakes. Faults split through the streets and cars were overturned. The decaying bodies of unfortunate citizens were strewn across the roads and crows circled around their future dinners. Death reigned throughout.

"Are you sure about this?" Sasuke Uchiha repeated into the miniature microphone.

"100%. Our surveillance scanners reported a sign of true life, dead ahead."

"At Ground Zero, Kakashi? How is that even possible? Nobody has lived here for 10 years. People couldn't survive here without the apparitions striking them down."

"Trust me, would you?" Kakashi said sweetly and Sasuke could practically see the patronizing smile that likely crossed his superior's masked face as he spoke.

"Whatever."

It was beyond him why he was carrying out this assignment anyways. The city gave him the creeps, and not without good reason.

As Sasuke approached the town square, every muscle in his body tensed. He could practically feel the dark eyes assessing him from the shadows, waiting to pounce. Every sound he made, every step he took, was amplified in the dead silence. The deep red sky above mocked him as he recalled the days when it used to be a brilliant blue. Sasuke himself used to live in Kono City (2) before it became the breeding grounds for demons and renegade spirits. It had been a peaceful city, sometimes annoyingly so. Still, living with his family here had been some of the better times in his life, and he would have never wished this fate upon his former hometown. Shaking himself from his reverie, Sasuke attempted to refocus his attention on the mission. Recover the living person without letting them be killed, or worse, become a Fallen.

Suddenly a strange sense of dread fell over him. Sasuke pulled out his gun and braced himself as he continued into the depths of the city. Something was coming.

#

Elsewhere, a blond boy in tattered clothing awoke from a deep sleep. From his spot on the ground, he took in his surroundings. The town was desolate, the sky a bloody red. Darkness lurked around every corner and the city was unnaturally still. It seemed like there were no inhabitants, yet something told him a certain kind of 'life' was present around him.

"Damnit, where am I?" the boy spoke to himself. "The last thing I remember was when I was with Jiraiya... and-"

"Are you lost?"

The blond jumped, startled. He looked up to see a stranger hovering above. (How had someone managed to sneak up on him like that? The guy had appeared out of nowhere!) The man before him was of average height and had dark brown hair. He was wearing a tailored suit and was eerily clean for someone standing in such a gruesome location. But the thing that really set the blond boy on edge was his unearthly eyes. They glistened in the crimson setting— a deep sinister gold.

"Who are you?" he asked warily.

"Why me? I'm just a citizen passing through. I know this town well, so I can direct you if you need help..." he trailed off imploringly.

Silence.

"What's your name?" the man tried again, this time a mocking smile on his features.

"Naruto..."

"Well Naruto, do you need help?" The man bared his abnormally sharp teeth and outstretched his hand to the blond who was still on the ground.

Now obviously, Naruto far from trusted this man; however he was smart enough to know that, help or no help, he would be in a shitload of trouble and if he accepted this man's assistance, at least he would have someone who could possibly get him out of his current situation.

"I guess..."

Naruto shifted his gaze to the man looming above him and his blue eyes locked with the strange golden eyes.

_Eyes that promise pain._

"Take my hand," the stranger growled, becoming impatient.

_Don't._

Naruto stood slowly, still locked in the haunting gaze.

Tendons of shadows emerged from the stranger's hand with a sudden crackling. The man's mocking smile turned into a bloodthirsty grin. His body began to morph into some disgusting form. Naruto watched, frozen in a kind of awed horror.

The skin of the creature became marred and charred. Its face became darkened in shadows as the sharpness of its teeth became more pronounced. Slimy tails and crooked horns emerged from its backside. A primitive screech ripped from its throat. And throughout this gross transformation, its horrible golden eyes and sinister bloodthirsty grin remained.

The creature pounced.

Naruto screamed.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

(1) Ground Zero is the area where demons, apparitions, evil spirits, etc. were originally released. This makes it a very dangerous area, seeing as demons and such still live there, and it's virtually impossible for normal humans to survive there. To get an idea of what it looks like, just imagine what the surrounding New York City area looked like after the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11 (minus the fires and smog and dust), and that's basically what I was imagining here. Total destruction.

(2) Kono City... It's Konoha City, but that's overused so I chopped off the 'ha'. Creative, I know.

Please review, they provide much needed inspiration. (:  
—Silver


	2. Revelations and Races

**Title**: Where Terror Reigns  
**Author**: SilverSauce

* * *

CH ONE: R E V E L A T I O N S AND RACES

#

_ten years ago_  
_wednesday, 5:57pm_

#

"This is Michiyo Fujimoto, reporting in on Day 7 of the demon crisis. In the days following the initial release of these creatures, the world has been thrown into a perpetual state of chaos, especially here in Kono City. Reports are coming in from around the world of murders with no lead on the cause of their deaths other than the sightings of strange creatures in the vicinity before the homicides.

"These monsters, which are now being referred to as Class A715 demons by the Japanese Government and the National Hazard Organization seem to be feeding on human beings mercilessly, with no regard to age or gender. A citywide curfew has just recently been issued, stating that all families are to be indoors by 6 p.m., as the creatures tend to thrive during and following twilight hours. We advise you to lock your doors, bolt your windows, and stay inside at all costs. Don't open your doors for anything, as it has been recently reported that these beasts can take on human form.

"In the meantime, police have been trying to isolate the source of this violence and have traced the origin of these Demons back to Kono's own high-security Oto Laboratories. Ever since the incident last week the labs have been shut down, though the exact reason is shrouded in mystery. Most believe that its workers are likely responsible for the calamities that have befallen us; however definite proof has yet to be uncovered. Scientists are also trying to analyze the strange new pollutants that have mixed into the atmosphere's air and have caused the death of many young people due to its unstable composition. We'll now switch over to Taiki who's with Dr. Tsunade, head scientist on the investigation, for more information on these deadly toxins in our air..."

The local TV news droned on, the blue glare from its picture shining dully through the otherwise dark living room. The green numbers on the VCR clock read 5:58pm. Wind blew steadily outside, the house creaking slightly from the force of the breeze. In the kitchen, the calm buzzing of the dishwasher gave a deceiving sense of normality, though the whole home was disturbingly still. There was only one peculiar thing... the front door, which should have been bolted shut, was standing wide open...

#

A young boy of eight breathed heavily as he raced down the deserted street. Normally, throngs of people would be wandering around the bright city: the nightlife scene thriving, while cars raced down the road with music blaring and horns honking. Now however, Kono was different. The shops were boarded closed and all the streetlights were darkened. Warning signs were posted all over the doors, and the stoplights blinked red, a clear sign that they no longer functioned properly. The young boy panicked as he remembered the recent curfew that was set and how his father had promised to pick him up from school by five. He looked briefly at the digital watch on his small pale wrist, which read 6:42. The boy couldn't believe his parents would forget about him, so why hadn't somebody come to his school to take him home on time? Not even his Aniki had showed up.

As the child rounded the corner, muted cries of the night closed in on him, while his heart thumped loudly in his chest. The air was thick and smelled foul, and the sky around him was an enflamed bloody red, despite the fact that the sun was shrouded behind thick, dark clouds. The boy inhaled sharply, anxiety filling his bones, as his neighborhood finally came into view. He coughed as the tainted air surged through his lungs, pain making its presence known in his chest. He almost collapsed right there, in the middle of the abandoned road, but his will to come home safely to his family kept his feet moving.

It was eerily quiet on his street, and completely dark. All the house lights and street lamps were off, and the only sound besides the blowing wind was the low screeches of the beasts that inhabited the darkest parts of the city.

_The demons._

Shivering slightly, the child approached his house and knew instantly when he saw the front door standing ajar that something was off. From the steps of the porch, a rancid smell invaded his petite nose. Blood...? Blood indeed. It was splattered all over the front porch.

The boy stilled in shock, as his heartbeat doubled its pace. Cautiously he crossed the porch, its wooden beams groaning in frustration from his weight. Feeling weak at his knees, the small male leaned against the front doorframe for support as his ears picked up a low sound from the house.

"Mom...? Dad...?" he called out hesitantly.

No response. The almost not-there sound continued on unheedingly.

"Aniki...?" he tried again, fear gripping his heart.

Nothing.

He entered the house, his nerves wound so tight he thought he was dying. The rancid smell was even stronger inside. Dark, frightened eyes surveyed the grim scene before him. The television's light illuminated the room ominously and the blood, still dampening the carpet, was sickening in its stench. On the floor next to the couch, his father was slumped over, unmoving. His father's eyes... they were wide open, with fear still frozen in their depths, but lacking that essential spark of life. His whole stomach was carved out, guts spilling onto the ground and intermingling with his blood.

When he finally managed to pace further into the home he saw in the kitchen, his mother slack against the stove, her body barely recognizable from the burns and bloody cuts marring her corpse. She had been burned alive. The smoky smell of burning flesh invaded his nose, alarmingly so. Dead. His mother and father were dead, murdered in their own home.

"Dad, Mom!" the boy called desperately, his knees hitting the floor.

Tears streamed down his pale face, his hands gripping the carpet as if searching for some source of stability that barely eluded his grasp. He wept, undisturbed in his solitary pain for what seemed like hours before he finally lapsed into a grieving silence. His parents dead, his brother missing, his city decaying. The small boy rubbed at his already reddened eyes, feeling drained beyond description.

Still, despite the otherwise horrifying scene in front of him, life went on. The living room television droned on. The dishwasher hummed on too. And, of course, those damnable screeches of the night still echoed on.

So consumed was the child with fear and confusion, that he didn't notice the person that crept up behind him, or the telltale shadow the figure cast on the wall. The boy was hit roughly on the back of his head and the last thing he knew before he fell unconscious and was dragged out of his home was a crimson red.

#

_present day_  
_friday, 6:07pm_

#

A shrill scream ripped through the still city, making Sasuke's blood run cold. Halting in his steady, quick gait, he paused and took a moment to take in his surroundings. By reflex, the hunter's eyes bled red from concentration and three dark commas began to rotate around furiously inside brilliant red irises.

So bombarded was Sasuke by the excitement of the apparitions, that it was almost tangible. He could feel them hiding in the shadows of the city ruins and his heightened senses could make out the sudden primitive adrenaline rush they received from the terror of nearby prey.

Still they did not move from their positions. They waited patiently, until they were sure of the impending kill.

"Tch," Sasuke muttered, annoyed.

He told himself that he was getting worked up over nothing, and that the demons would not try to move until after twilight, because they were allergic to light.

Presumably.

However, he wasn't one to rule anything out of the case, especially when he was at ground zero. The apparitions were not intellectual by human standards, but their sly tendencies and deadly instincts were not to be overlooked. Taking a calming breath, Sasuke scoffed as he considered all the unnecessary deaths that came about through people's ignorance. He didn't know what was more shameful; the fact that these inherently dim apparitions were clever enough to actually anticipate the humans' actions or that the supposedly intelligent humans were stupid enough to underestimate the apparitions. He figured it didn't really matter though, since all of it was a moot point. The world had become a pathetic place, and that was the only truth Sasuke knew.

The scream died down, but it was immediately replaced by a tremendous buildup of energy.

"Sasuke...?" Kakashi's voice rang in his ear from the headset.

"I'm here," he replied absently, the scream still echoing throughout his mind.

"Go ahead."

"Sasuke, there's been a strange flux of energy near the town square at Gaza Park. The same area the true life signal was coming from."

"Yeah... there was a scream from that direction earlier..." He looked over towards its origin and noticed the glowing, pulsating white light in the otherwise crimson sky.

"Get over there, now. This is serious, Sasuke. We haven't picked up energy this intense since-"

"I know Kakashi," Sasuke interrupted, irritated. "And the situation is under control."

"Hey," Kakashi spoke, a hard edge in his voice. "Don't die."

At this Sasuke smirked. "I can't."

Taking off in the direction of the bright light, with his red eyes blazing and gun gripped tightly, the young Uchiha ran twice as fast as he had been before. That scream, that energy and light... things were getting dangerous at Ground Zero. Or at least more dangerous than normal.

#

On the executive floor of the Agency, Hatake Kakashi leaned back from his computer, sighing. Once again, Sasuke had been thrown into an unpredictable situation, but this time things were different. This time the fate of the world was involved. The large windows behind him provided a breathtaking view of the Tokyo skyline, but it was simply a vain illusion. The truth was that just like any other city in the world, Tokyo was in mortal danger, on the brink of annihilation. All because of these... things, and of course the fools who unleashed them.

A knock at his door brought him from his thoughts. He opened his mouth to query who it was, but the door was slammed open before he could. Itachi Uchiha marched in swiftly, his face masking carefully suppressed ire. As one of the last Uchihas alive, he carried himself as if the pride of his clan rested on his shoulders, and it was evident that even in his anger he would not lose control.

Raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with a few bangs framing Itachi's cold but fierce dark eyes. A question burned in them, the executive could tell. Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Yes, Itachi?" he spoke warily.

"My little brother was sent to ground zero without my knowledge, Kakashi?" the man questioned bluntly.

The gray-haired man sighed. Clearly it had been foolish of him to deploy Sasuke without informing his elder brother of his intentions.

"He was." Itachi gritted his teeth lightly. "I know my foolish little brother has special... immunities, which allow him to do things that would otherwise be suicidal, but-"

"That's exactly why we had to send him, Itachi. He is the only person besides you or I that could handle it. And seeing as you were conveniently... unavailable, I dispatched Sasuke."

The elder Uchiha remained silent, but was clearly furious.

"This assignment was necessary, Itachi," Kakashi continued on in a placating tone. "You know as well as I do that finding a true life signal in Kono City, at ground zero no less, means only one thing. That boy, Minato's son, he must have reappeared. It can only be him. Who else is there?"

"That's ludicrous Kakashi. That boy disappeared right after Minato's death and hasn't been seen since. And there was irrefutable evidence recently uncovered that he died the night of the incident. So the next time you have the urge to send someone out on a fruitless mission such as this, don't send Sasuke. I won't hesitate to send Akatsuki after you if something happens to him, even if you are my boss."

"No mercy, even for your favorite guardian?" Kakashi joked, trying to lighten the mood. Itachi looked past him, through the windows which displayed Tokyo in all its chaotic glory.

"Mercy is no longer an option," he stated cryptically. His black eyes pinned Kakashi's down for a split second before he turned to exit.

"Itachi... what if it truly is the boy?" The Uchiha didn't stop in his exit as he replied, "Then things will be getting much worse from here on out." And then he was gone, as quickly as he came.

Kakashi collapsed back into his chair with a sigh. "Jeez, what an intense guy," he muttered.

#

His entire body tensed in apprehension as he peered around the unstable building, and what he saw nearly made his eyes bulge out from his sockets. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, a few hundred feet away from him was a boy facing off against a Fallen. That, though strange enough in itself, was not what was so surprising however. No, it was the appearance of the young man.

He had scraggly blond hair that surrounded his face like an unkempt mane. His eyes were wild, a crimson red with catlike pupils gleaming intently. He had wide, feral whisker marks on his cheeks, with blood pouring from the lacerations. His entire body was taut with veins bulging from beneath his defined muscles, and long claws protruded from his feet and hands. A red aura surrounded him, bubbling and popping sickeningly, wild and alert. And surrounding that was the white light that Sasuke had seen earlier from many meters away. What's more, the boy had a vulpine grin on his face, which showed off sharp canines, as he towered over the shaking Fallen.

Suddenly, the apparition fell to its knees, his blackened skin relaxing in submission, his golden eyes filled with, yes fear, but even respect.

_'What the hell?'_ Sasuke thought, feeling thoroughly bewildered.

Then the pitiful creature spoke from the dusty ground. "But master," he croaked lowly, "why are you taking residence inside this lowly human?"

He looked awed more than anything else, with his horned head bowed over and his power suppressed out of reverence. The boy... demon?... stared, the same insane grin gracing his sinister features. Sasuke could feel the power radiating off of him in waves. He certainly didn't seem human anymore, even if he once had been.

"You fool," the demon's voice rumbled lowly, as he finally decided to speak. "I am not within this human host by choice!" he bellowed out.

Then the blond man's body moved to kick the lesser apparition across the head. The apparition flew twenty feet before finally grinding to a stop in an undignified heap. The fox-like boy approached his prey slowly. Sasuke held his breath as he noticed the eyes from the shadows watching on, as intrigued as he was.

The other demons seemed to be waiting for something. Who was this boy, and why did a Fallen bend to his will? The white energy around the demon-man crackled and split like thunder through the area. Taking one finger, he thrust it swiftly and jabbed it unceremoniously between the eyes of the Fallen, looking simultaneously disgusted and pleased.

The black thing sputtered and convulsed while his eyes bulged in pain. He groaned and muttered out a confused "why" before his body disintegrated into black dust and scattered like leaves in the wind. Sticking his hands in his pocket, the demonic boy sighed, as if relieved and closed his red eyes. Dust swirled all around him, the wind the only sound disrupting the otherwise tense silence. He stood there for a moment as his energy began to dissipate, and then collapsed to the ground.

The young Uchiha, still puzzled, but refusing to show his confusion looked out over the horizon in thought. 'The sun should have set by now,' he mused idly. Was this the person he was supposed to be saving? He seemed like a demon himself! But then again, he did eliminate the Fallen.

"Kakashi," the dark-haired boy hissed into the microphone, needing to confirm his next move with his superior. All he heard was static.

'Damn, the signal's out.'

Looking back over at the unconscious boy, Sasuke noticed immediately the demons that were still watching. Suddenly, they began to screech and whine in a low unison, and Sasuke barely had time to react before they pulled themselves from the darkness, and raced out into the opening, mindlessly rushing towards one defenseless blond boy.

They groaned eagerly, looking ready to devour him in his sleep if their salivating mouths said anything, which they did. On an impulse, Sasuke raced past the stumbling apparitions in a blur and struck them quickly and efficiently in their midsections, effectively disarming them. They halted for a second, temporarily paralyzed, giving the Uchiha the chance to hoist the unconscious man over his shoulders before he speedily weaved between the crumbling skyscrapers, trying to lose his pursuers.

The recovered apparitions melted into the shadows, and skillfully maneuvered after them, calling others alongside them. Wild roars and haunting growls could be heard in all directions as Sasuke evaded the demons while trying to throw them off his trail. It was eight twenty, well past sundown. The demons would not relent until first light the next morning.

_'Shit!'_

A shrill, piercing scream shot out, shaking the brunet down to his bones.

It echoed throughout all of the shrouded Ground Zero, and the demons chasing after him stopped to respond to the sound. Their bodies resonated with the shriek and then, in unison, they all began to emit the same horrid pitch. Frozen in place, the creatures screamed, the sound escalating until Sasuke thought for sure his ears would bleed.

The wind howled along with them, carrying the screams for miles into the reddened sky, the shrieks rattling down the Uchiha's spine and seemingly turning his muscles into jelly. Deeply disturbed, but smart enough to realize this was his chance to escape the dangerous situation, Sasuke continued on with the boy over his shoulder, his red eyes glaring madly, as the creatures stayed behind engrossed in their screeching.

#

At the outskirts of the city, finally in an area away from ground zero that Sasuke deemed safe, the brunet decided to stop to rest. Walking up the steps onto the porch of an abandoned country house, he laid the blond boy on a bench and busted the house door down.

Inside, the home was musky from disuse, and cobwebs were everywhere. Venturing deeper into the house, he located the kitchen towards the back and looked for some water or semblance of food. He tried the tap, hoping it would somehow still spout running water, but to no avail. Sighing, Sasuke checked his watch. 11 p.m. Eight hours to kill. His radio communications with Kakashi were out, and there was no chance for him to leave the area before morning, seeing as the dark was teeming with demons.

What was he going to do with that demon boy? And what about the true life signal? Where did the person he was supposed to rescue go off to?

_'Maybe this blond devoured him,'_ he thought morbidly.

_**Or maybe the boy is the one**_, another part of his mind whispered to him.

After finding a flashlight which was surprisingly still working, Sasuke checked the pantry for food. He finally settled on a bag of unopened but stale tortilla chips to snack on, and found some bottled water on the floor behind dog food. Glad that something was finally working out to his advantage, but still remaining mostly cynical and alert, Sasuke moved silently across the house, the rotting wood and family pictures on the wall mocking him all the while.

Back outside where it was lighter because of the peculiar red in the sky, the hunter fastened his flashlight above them, where it would give a wide diameter of light for protection and sat on the steps in front of the boy on the bench, keeping watch. Occasionally munching on a few chips and sipping water, he sat, tensed and waiting for something or nothing to happen.

#

It was 4:30am, and Sasuke was beginning to nod off in his exhaustion, when the bench behind him creaked from movement. Eyes snapping fully open, Sasuke listened as a colorful tenor voice groaned.

"Wha—?" the voice behind him began as he came to.

Sasuke turned to look then, not moving from his spot on the stairs, but inclining his head toward the sounds of the wounded boy waking up. His heart skipped a beat as his black eyes peered through the darkness and met questioning, chilling blue eyes.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

A/N: Re-uploaded this chapter. I really don't like it that much, but it's necessary to kind of set the pace and the mood, I suppose.

Thanks for reading! If you have the time, please leave your thoughts and suggestions in a review.

—Silver


	3. Strangers Stranded

**Title**: Where Terror Reigns  
**Author**: SilverSauce

* * *

CH TWO: S T R A N G E R S STRANDED

#

_ten years ago_  
_saturday, 3:11am_

#

Whispers floated across the dark room, but the dark-haired boy remained blissfully unaware as he slept on.

"But why did you bring him here?" a worried voice whispered quietly.

"I had to, Iruka; there was no other place he and his brother could go. Besides, I've been training Itachi for awhile now, and it's about time Sasuke started learning about his clan as well. I'm the only one left who can teach them." Another voice spoke out quietly, this one much less concerned.

The clouds that had been shrouding the sky cleared away and the light of the full moon shone through the windows, stretching across the carpet and casting light upon the face of one eight year old boy snuggled up next to his teddy under the covers.

The two men looked on solemnly, pondering the days ahead.

"What happened to them is tragic..." the shortest murmured contemplatively.

"Quite," the masked one confirmed.

The boy in the bed shifted slightly, drawing the attention of his silent guardians. His dark hair fell in his face, brushing against his pale skin—almost translucent under the light of the moon—as his eyebrows furrowed from concentration on some unseen thing.

Outside the room, the sound of a door slamming shut downstairs shattered the pregnant silence.

"Thank God, Minato's back," the shorter man of the two said quietly. The two nodded at each other silently as they exited the room, closing the door soundlessly behind them. They walked with hurried steps down the long hallway and down the stairs, to greet the man in the foyer.

But who they saw standing there on the tiles under the dim hanging light was not their companion, but an old man with long white hair.

"He's dead," the elderly man stated monotonously, as if in a trance.

#

_present day_  
_saturday, 4:31am_

#

Sasuke looked on in something akin to wary amusement as the blond boy on the bench began to stir. He looked out into the streets and dead fields of grass ahead, checking to make sure there were no demons in sight and they weren't in any immediate danger, before standing and walking over to the injured boy.

Groaning, the strange blond boy peered at Sasuke once more, his eyes no longer drowsy but instead sober. The Uchiha stared back blankly, but still on guard, wondering absently why the man's eyes were no longer a blazing red. He shuddered inwardly when he recalled the abnormal show of power the wounded blond had demonstrated earlier. No, he would not let down his guard until he determined whether or not his unwanted charge was a threat.

"Who are you, and where am I?" the boy in question asked; panic straining his voice despite his decidedly calm eyes.

When Sasuke failed to supply an answer the boy on the bench moved to sit up before wincing in pain.

"Damnit!" he shouted as he grimaced. "What the hell is going on here?" He flailed his arms around experimentally before collapsing back onto his stomach, obviously preferring to stay put considering his condition.

"How did I get all these wounds," the blond mumbled more quietly to himself.

Sasuke smirked a little at that, entertained at the boy's antics. The smirk dropped off his face as he remembered the situation at hand. He was alone in an area heavily populated by demons with a potential threat, no communications with headquarters and no contact with outside civilization. Now was not the time to be amused, the Uchiha decided.

"How did you defeat that Fallen back there? It was quite impressive, I must admit." Sasuke finally spoke, albeit quietly.

"What? What are you talking about?" The blond boy yelled louder than was necessary, and Sasuke would have hit him if he wasn't so curious to know who this demon and/or boy was.

"What's your name anyways?"

"Naruto, yours?"

Sasuke ignored the question and asked another one of his own. "Well, Naruto," he spoke in a condescending tone, as if to a child, "how did you manage to turn into that... thing... and defeat the Fallen? They are very hard to kill normally, and hardly ever stay dead."

"You didn't even tell me your name," the boy pouted. Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes.

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Naruto continued to monologue, "but- wait! Are you talking about that disgusting piece of crap monster back there? Was that a 'Fallen'?" At this the blond made air quotes, before remembering he was hurt.

"Don't move, moron, or you'll agitate your wounds," Sasuke couldn't believe the immaturity of the boy, "but yes, that blackened monster humanoid was a Fallen."

"Don't call me a moron! And I didn't beat that thing, because I passed out! You must have saved me, so, uh, thanks." Naruto shrugged awkwardly from his prone position on the bench.

Sasuke clenched his jaw in thought, as he stared at the blond incredulously.

Does he not remember how he singlehandedly destroyed it?

"You're kind of rude you know," Naruto began, clearly irritated.

"What," the Uchiha snapped out the question as a terse statement.

"I just thanked you, ..." here Naruto hesitated as he didn't yet know who Sasuke was.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the raven responded smoothly. "but I didn't save you from the Fallen; you saved yourself."

"That's impossible—," Naruto cut himself off and blanched as he stared in horror over Sasuke's shoulder. The young Uchiha turned and looked out over the expanse of the desolate farm lands surrounding them. The wind whirled around underneath the dark red sky as a group of black, creeping figures approached them from across the plains. More demons.

"Fuck."

#

On the other side of the globe, a phone's shrill ring echoed throughout the compact apartment.

It rung once.

It rung twice.

It rung thrice.

On the seventh ring, the answering machine picked up. A sleazy, lethargic voice sounded.

"Hello, you've reached King. I'm not able to take your call right now, but please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can, if I feel like it. By the way, that means I probably won't... Bahahaha!"

Beeeeeep.

"You fool; you're still being retarded in times such as these? Will you ever grow up?" It was a female voice, snarky and reprimanding. "Anyways, you never called me back. I need the truth regarding the incident at Oto Laboratories, and I know you gleaned the information. King... this is serious. If what happened that night is anything like what I suspect... just, call me back and give me the intelligence you gathered... please."

Beeeeeep.

The recording ended, and the light on the phone flashed red, signaling one new message. King wouldn't hear it though, not when he was slumped against the wall with a knife through his heart.

#

Sasuke's eyes activated, his Sharingan spinning wildly. "Just stay put Naruto," he called out from behind him as he raced down the stairs and across the fields towards the monsters.

"Are you crazy, Sasuke? You can't fight those!" Naruto yelped out after him, but blinked in bewilderment and slight fright when he saw that the Uchiha had already gone and was closing in on the intruders, fast. Naruto watched on in acute fascination as his eyes tried to follow the quick movements the dark-haired boy made. He moved faster than the naked eye could see. Naruto squinted and saw a flash of metal before he heard a few loud cracks that pierced through the air. The demons, which looked like a giant pack of cats, had all but died. They laid there in the dead browned grasses as Sasuke made his way back to the old house.

His eyes were still red as he walked up the porch steps and Naruto couldn't help but gasp as he looked into those mesmerizing eyes, which reminded him so much of the sinister golden ones from before he blacked out. In fact, these eyes seemed ten times more powerful and deadly than the ones that belonged to the man-turned-demon that attacked him (god knows when) back there.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, partly in fear, partly in indignation as he continued to gaze into those dangerous eyes. Unknowingly, he had sat up despite his wounds and now was growling at the dark-haired stranger in front of him. A hiss escaped through his throat, past razor sharp teeth, and before he knew what was happening, he murmured out "Who are you, really? Are you also one of them, disguised as a human?"

Sasuke looked on in a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. "I could ask the same of you, Naruto," he muttered bitterly. The Uchiha was still tense and alert as right before his very eyes he saw the blond's superficial wounds as well as more severe wounds seal up. The undamaged skin around the injuries multiplied and seemed to sear the bleeding gashes that should have left scars shut.

The blond seemed suprised that the Uchiha was just as wary and his blue eyes lost some of their threatening edge as Sasuke's red ones faded back to a deep, almost pitch black gray.

"Look at your arms," Sasuke said flatly.

Naruto gazed down at his body where lacerations used to mar his skin, and was suprised to find them completely gone, as if never there. There weren't even any scars. Hesitantly, the blond stood, and noticed he was also no longer sore. The wooden floorboards creaked under his weight and the flashlight swung harmlessly overhead.

"Did you... heal me with your weird eyes Sasuke?" he questioned with some excitement, considering his miraculous healing, all previous uncertainty forgotten.

"Idiot," Sasuke scoffed at the absurdity of it all. "You healed yourself."

The blond rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Whatever, Sasuke. It was your creepy ass eyes, wasn't it?"

"Sharingan," the boy muttered, looking slightly affronted.

"Beg pardon?"

"Nothing. Look, Naruto, we're kind of stuck in this situation together. Right now we're in this place called Ground Zero, and there are a lot of dangerous creatures around here, as you've seen. I don't normally cooperate willingly with people... ever, but, until we get out of here it looks like I have to. You need trust me Naruto, even though you don't know me well, and I need to be able to trust you." Sasuke ended his speech, feeling rather peeved with his predicament. He was virtually agreeing to work with a clearly volatile boy who was not only obviously inhuman, but perhaps even a demon-bred (1).

Naruto stared at the hunter intently for a second, as if trying to figure out whether or not he was worth trusting before nodding to himself.

"Okay. Even though you scare the hell out of me, you did look out for me, and help me out, so I'll trust you. For now."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted noncommittally.

"Now what?"

"Now we get the hell out of here. Those things," Sasuke jerked his head in the direction of the animal-like demons, "might be dead, but the stench of their corpses will attract even stronger apparitions."

It was around 6am by then and the sky had turned a paler shade of reddish orange, signaling the start of a new day.

"At day, the demons are more restricted since they're sensitive to light, so should get out of here while we can."

Picking up some spare bottles of water and unfastening the flashlight from above, Sasuke moved down the stairs out into the light. Demons waiting in shadows groaned lowly, communicating to each other in otherworldly grunts and moans that sounded a lot like a combination of tires screeching and dying horses in pain. The sound made Sasuke feel a bit queasy, but he shrugged it off. Taking a furtive glance around, Naruto followed behind obediently, willing to let Sasuke take the lead as long as they got out of there. They headed west into thick shrubs, trying to move quickly and efficiently through the brush. The sky above them was still a pale burnt red as they moved together silently.

Sasuke was deep in thought, musing on how paradoxical his new blond companion was. He seemed so childish and ignorant, but at times, like when he first woke up and now, he had a mature air about him, like he had seen a lot of things in his lifetime, and his blue eyes sharpened with knowing. 'Plus,' Sasuke thought wryly, 'he can be very dangerous, and has the ability to transform.'

Around them, energy crackled and Sasuke very nearly swore aloud when he saw a Rage demon (2) materialize not far in front of them.

The beast was tall, eight feet to be exact, and was covered in a kind of sleek black fur, like a panther. It had gleaming gold eyes, sharp, despite the fact that they couldn't see well. He had bugs crawling all over him, because they were attracted to the Rage's unique scent. It had an abnormal snout, placed on top of its head that had five nostrils for sniffing. It also had a huge white patch on its skin running from its upper body down to his midsection where sharp spikes protruded from its belly.

Grabbing Naruto and covering his mouth to muffle his cries, Sasuke hauled them down behind a particularly large tree and sat still while his heart beat rapidly against his chest. Naruto looked at him questioningly, but Sasuke just gave him a look that said 'be still, idiot.' Naruto complied, though he was clearly a bit miffed.

Around them shadows morphed into tangible limbs and clawed through the brush at the command of the Rage. Sasuke stiffened as he heard it sniff, trying to pinpoint their location with its keen sense of smell.

The shadows continued to thrash blindly while the Rage kept sniffing, more urgently now. Sasuke cursed the demon under his breath and again his Sharingan went spinning, his eyes turning red as he worked to cover up their smell by casting a genjutsu to confuse its olfactory senses. It seemed to work and the monster wandered off in the opposite direction before melting in the shadows and dematerializing quickly.

Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief and released Naruto.

"What was that one?" the blond questioned him innocently. Sasuke looked over towards his companion, feeling suddenly inclined to hold his head in his hands and shout at Naruto's ignorance. Did he not know anything about what had been happening in the past ten years? How is it that he remained so blissfully unaware despite the times? Sasuke then noticed the strange look Naruto was shooting him and cleared his throat.

"It's known as a Rage, because it goes berserk when its shadow tendrils manage to ensnare prey, and it won't hesitate to rip you limb from limb. They are much stronger than your typical low class demon, and I'd rather not fight one now."

"I see," Naruto nodded sagely.

Sasuke smirked deviously, amused. "You know nothing, moron, so don't even pretend to try and understand."

"You're such a bastard, Sasuke."

"Hn, whatever."

#

The unlikely friends had walked for hours in silence, sometimes comfortable, sometimes awkward. They stopped a few times to rest and drink water or pee, but other than that they kept walking, remaining vigilant as they tried to avoid unnecessary encounters with apparitions. Every once in awhile a small fry would pop up and Sasuke would shoot it down with his gun.

"That thing sure is powerful," Naruto had stated afterwards, trying to start a conversation.

"It's specially designed to cut through hellish energies and chakras, and renders weaker demons' defenseless. They can then be shot down like ordinary animals."

"Oh!" Naruto's eyes shined with interest, as he started to inquire if the other boy would let him see it.

"No, you cannot play with it Naruto."

His words died on his tongue. "Damn. Meanie!"

#

Kakashi marched into the communication headquarters, annoyed beyond all belief. Not only had his coffee been lukewarm and severely lacking in creamer, but now his contact with Sasuke had been cut.

Storming past security, his shoes clacked against the marble tiles as he headed over to the mainframe system that sent and received all the Agency's ingoing and outgoing frequencies.

Shino Aburame sat in front of the screen, and if he were a lesser man would have paled when he felt the palpable anger radiating off his superior in waves. Instead he just adjusted his dark glasses which he wore partly to shield his eyes from the glare of the screen and partly because he simply liked them.

"Can I not get a reading on Sasuke's location? Or at least radio contact?"  
Kakashi said it blandly, but even Shino could tell he was worried because one of his best agents, not to mention foster child, had been at Ground Zero for 16 hours without contact.

"Damnit, Itachi and Iruka will kill me," the masked man murmured under his breath.

Just then a lackey came in, and Kakashi lashed out at him in frustration, reveling in his power as one of the heads of the organization. The poor man ran off in a hurry, looking thoroughly frightened.

"If you're done taking your power trip sir, maybe you should use the true life signal to get an accurate reading and then transmit the radio from there."

"Hm, good work Shino," Kakashi mused, "this is why you're head of communications," he continued fondly.

"Right, sir," Shino intoned quietly.

"Well, don't just stand there; get to it!" Kakashi snapped and then chuckled with mirth. "I want to be speaking to Uchiha within the hour."

#

It was 3:47pm and Naruto and Sasuke were camping out in an abandoned cellar underground.

Though dark, it was safe because it was sealed off and hidden by a genjutsu. Sasuke had lit a small fire and turned all his flashlights on, placing them in the corners of the room. There were lots of canned goods down there and Sasuke was pleasantly suprised to see some canned tomatoes that were still fresh.

The youngest Uchiha munched on them happily, or as happily as one could get being trapped in a dark, dank cellar with an absolute dolt. Naruto on the other hand was sulking. Predictably. Sasuke had offered him the jar of red fruit, but the blond had pouted and declined, saying he was on a strict ramen-only diet. At that point the dark-haired boy could only shake his head at the blond's idiocy. They sat in silence for awhile while resting.

"Sasuke," Naruto began after a bit, sounding strangely serious.

"Hm?"

"Those 'Fallen's' you were talking about earlier... what exactly are they? I mean I encountered one earlier, and for awhile there I thought you were one..."

Sasuke sat up from his position on the blanket where he was staring at the ceiling and turned to consider the blond.

Naruto sat across from him, on the other side of the fire, his golden hair and tanned skin highlighted from the soft glow of the fire, his crystal blue eyes hardened gravely.

"Well. To put it simply, Fallen are demonic spirits that have completely possessed a human. The spirit will take over the body of a weakened person and completely bend the will of the person until they break and their soul is completely suppressed or driven out. Then the demon has free reign over the human body and can take the appearance of the person possessed or appear in their true form. They are more intelligent than grunt demons and can take over stronger bodies if a person gets locked in their eyes and stuck in their grip. They're called 'Fallen's' because the human being is crushed and falls prey to the apparition. In any case, they're dangerous and will beguile you at all costs."

Naruto stared the Uchiha for an unnerving amount of time before finally breaking his eyes away. There was a pregnant pause before Naruto spoke again.

"And... I killed it, not you?"

Sasuke hesitated. Should he keep what he witnessed from Naruto or tell him the truth? Which was safer for the blond? Which was safer for him?

"It appeared so, from where I was," Sasuke said slowly. "Why?"

_'Who are you really, Naruto?'_

"Because I just remembered before I passed out hearing a strange growling from inside and somebody howling 'freedom'. I think whatever you saw, was probably whatever was speaking to me before I blanked out."

Sasuke shifted on his blanket and placed his hands on the cold stone floor of the basement room.

"Naruto, there's something else I've been meaning to ask you." Naruto's eyes snapped up from where they were glaring at a brown stain on the floor to stare into Sasuke's pitch black eyes.

"How did you get out there, in the middle of ground zero, all by yourself?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke, his blue eyes boring into dark gray. Sasuke scrutinized Naruto's strange expression in the firelight and his eyes widened at what he deciphered in those eyes. Anger, frustration and fear. But mostly fear.

"I don't know," Naruto whispered fiercely, bewilderment and anxiety in his tone, "I don't remember."

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

(1) A person who has demon parts and some demonic powers from artificial and synthetic operations.

(2) A class/type of demon. Weaker than a Fallen, but only marginally. As for a Rage's 'shadow control powers', think of Pride from FMA.

A/N: Woo! How's that? I just spent 5 hours working on this and it is 5am. Lolol. If this doesn't garner some reviews/alerts/faves, I don't know what will. Personally I thought it was kind of epic, haha. Anyhow, it's important to note that all the powers the Naruto characters had as shinobi are the powers they have in the WTR Universe. However, there might be some slight changes to what these powers actually do, so don't be suprised if Sasuke goes all psychic or something. In this story, eye kekkei-genkais are extremely important and powerful.

Oh and no, there isn't any KakaIru. In this story they are simply partners/old friends. The parings that I have planned for this story so far are SasuNaruSasu and minor ShikaTema.

—Silver


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